The Moon Falls into the Galaxy - Chapter 9

When the door to the private room was pushed open from the outside, Li Yue was taking a nap on the daybed. His exposed shoulder was covered in marks, and resting beside him was a fair-skinned beauty with skin as smooth as congealed fat.

This was the first time since his grand wedding that he had shared intimacy with anyone, not because he was loyal to his wife, nor because he feared the power of her maternal family, the Xiao clan. Recently, a vague thought had lingered in his mind, keeping him from peace day and night.

It was a tender little bird with snow-white feathers. She fluttered her wings and had quietly perched by the water. He had been dressed in his red wedding robes, watching her silently for a long time so long that he had found his own behavior abnormal, yet she had remained completely unaware.

Previously, Li Yue had always felt that girls with round eyes lacked something; at the very least, they were not as alluring as peach-blossom eyes, nor as dignified as phoenix eyes. But after seeing Shishi up close, he realized how shallow his initial thoughts had been. It wasn’t that he hadn’t heard of her beauty before, but hindered by the Duke of Weiguo, he had never dared to harbor ideas about her. Later, knowing she was betrothed, he had lost interest entirely.

After that day, Li Yue began investigating her affairs and even made contact with her fiancé. When Xue Yun approached him, he was still somewhat skeptical. However, he soon grasped all the details regarding Shishi. He had assumed she was a precious, thorny flower, but in reality, she was just an ordinary, tender willow branch. She was so quiet, so fragile, and so naive. A high-born lady with no support was even easier to manipulate than a courtesan from the pleasure quarters.

Just now, when he saw that plain white porcelain vase in the corridor, he had instantly thought of her fair skin—like congealed fat and white jade—it was truly exquisite. Even without touching or kissing her, just keeping her in the palace like a porcelain vase beauty would be worth it. Since she had luckily escaped at the White Cloud Temple last time, this time, he was determined to have her.

Thinking this, Li Yue lifted his eyelids. He assumed it was an attendant coming to report, Shishi must be terrified. He had to be careful; after all, she was the eldest daughter of the Duke of Weiguo, and it would not do to treat her as cheaply as a courtesan. He would gently undo her ribbons and remove her hairpins.

When he saw that the visitor was not a servant, but his murderous Imperial Uncle, Prince Yong Li Yan, Li Yue’s heart instantly sank to the bottom. Li Yan’s face was partially hidden behind a thin veil, his lips curled in a slight smile as he looked toward him. His moon-white, wide-sleeved robe made him appear harmless, even somewhat frail and scholar-like, but he resembled more an immortal from a Taoist scripture, riding the clouds and mist. He would have looked even more so, had it not been for the dark mass of soldiers standing behind him.

Li Yue hurriedly put on his outer robe and stepped off the daybed. The woman resting beside him was also jolted awake, looking at the crowd outside the room in bewilderment. He gave her a gloomy look to command her silence, dropped the curtain, and then hurried to Li Yan’s side.

Everyone knew that the Prince of Yong detested affairs of the heart, especially involving courtesans; even his father did not arrange entertainment when hosting private banquets. This was a taboo, just like the Xie family of the maternal line. It was right there in plain sight, yet no one dared to touch it. And yet, here he was, cavorting with a courtesan right under Li Yan’s nose. Li Yue felt a renewed sense of relief that Li Yan’s eyes were blind; if he could see his current disheveled state, it would be too embarrassing.

“Imperial Uncle, why have you arrived so suddenly?” he asked respectfully, showing no signs of the embarrassment of having his door kicked open.

Li Yan did not speak, leaving it to his attendant to answer.

“Greetings, Grandson of the Emperor. His Highness is here today to apprehend the criminal, Xu,” the attendant said, word by word.

Li Yue’s heart pounded, and cold sweat seeped from his back. This “Xu” was none other than one of his guests today. He was originally a military man with a mediocre rank, who, due to family reasons, was quite adept at letters and ink. Due to some unknown motivation, Li Yue had brought him into his inner circle, never expecting that this animal would drag him into disaster before doing anything for him. He was anxious, constantly calculating in his mind, yet he kept a humble and gentle expression, as if he would not change his expression even if Li Yan announced he was arresting him right then.

He asked gently and calmly: “May I ask Imperial Uncle, what crime has this Xu committed?”

Li Yue knew that the Prince of Yong held the title of Censor-in-Chief, specializing in military justice. He had a string of honorary titles, perhaps even the Prince himself couldn’t remember them all, but he never imagined Li Yan would act personally. His Imperial Grandfather was truly good to this son. Li Yan kept a low profile, so the Emperor bestowed upon him many empty titles, allowing him to lead a life of leisure while remaining terrifyingly noble in status. Out in the open, he was indifferent and peaceful; but in the dark, who didn’t know that power was merely something he stepped on? He rarely worked for the Emperor, and he disdained the merits and honors the Emperor personally arranged for him.

Li Yan’s expression remained indifferent, but this time, he finally deigned to speak.

“Treason.” His eyes flickered as he lightly spat out the two words.

Li Yue was horrified. Even though it was the warm spring of the second lunar month, he felt a bone-chilling cold. He clenched his jaw tightly to avoid losing his composure. His nails were almost sinking into his palms, and his voice trembled: “Imperial Uncle, please investigate thoroughly.”

Li Yue looked at the soldiers in black behind Li Yan, and his vision went black. Is it too late now to explain to the Prince of Yong that I am truly only drinking buddies with this Xu? He then remembered the attendant he had sent to drug Shishi, and his legs began to tremble, almost collapsing to the ground. Even if he could clear himself of Xu’s affair, if the matter of harming a noble lady were exposed, he would also be in danger.

Li Yan chuckled lightly: “What are you panicking about?”

He unhurriedly smoothed the wrinkles on his sleeves, letting his attendant continue.

“Grandson, please do not panic. His Highness naturally knows that you have no connection to this Xu; this is only a large-scale mobilization because His Majesty personally issued the order,” the attendant said to Li Yue in a soothing voice. “We have disturbed your leisure, which is our lack of proper planning.”

At the end, the attendant added with a stern look: “We must trouble you to return to the palace with us.”

Li Yue forced a smile and bowed to Li Yan: “It is I who have troubled Imperial Uncle.”

His steps were heavy as he followed the soldiers to the room where Xu was being held. Seeing that Xu Ping had cast off his usual submissive demeanor and was looking at him with a wild, sinister grin, even Li Yue shuddered. Xu Ping had already been restrained, yet he glared fiercely at him: “Your Highness, what is your heart made of? I have always considered myself loyal to you; if not for you, I would never have…”

Xu Ping’s voice was sinister, carrying a cold, thin quality like a eunuch’s: “Why did you treat me this way?”

Blood rushed to Li Yue’s head, and he interrupted him directly: “What nonsense are you spewing!”

“I saw that you were talented and frustrated in your career, so I kindly treated you well,” he reprimanded coldly. “And you! How dare you commit treason? Do you want to overturn the empire of Great Zhou?”

Only then did he realize that he had fallen completely into the Prince of Yong’s trap. Li Yan had only mentioned that Xu Ping was guilty of treason, never mentioning anything related to himself. He had been testing him. His heart grew colder, and he began to feel true fear.

An attendant beside the Prince of Yong spoke up again: “Grandson, please calm yourself. His Highness did not rest well yesterday and cannot tolerate loud noises.”

Li Yue went silent. He apologized to Li Yan softly, but his heart gradually settled. Xu Ping was not under his command, and he did not know who had instructed him to approach him. He had plenty of evidence to prove his innocence; there was no need to lose his wits over a few words. At worst, he could just kneel before his Imperial Grandfather and cry. He just needed to be careful not to drag his father into it.

Li Yan remained silent throughout. Even though this was an arrest of a traitor, his expression made it look as if he were out sightseeing. Only when he heard a soldier knock over a porcelain vase did he frown slightly. Jinming Pavilion had some nice things, but those placed in the corridors could not be particularly precious. Li Yue looked at the white porcelain vase that had shattered into powder, his chest aching as if it had been pierced, and the harsh wind biting into his lungs.

It must be a coincidence… but it feels somewhat ominous. His eyes were filled with venom. Once this matter was resolved, he would surely take Shishi into the palace. She had already taken up too much of his focus.

After returning home, Shishi went directly to the bathing room. She soaked in the hot water, only her small head visible, her long black hair spread out, her slender white fingers stirring the light-colored petals. Lüqi gently massaged her neck and shoulders, hoping to help her relax further.

She closed her eyes, always feeling that the scent of decay still clung to her. She had been imprisoned in that golden palace for too long; the thick, vile fragrance seemed almost to seep from her skin into her soul, branding her thoroughly with the mark of the Eastern Palace.

Can I really tell Seventh Uncle? How would I say it? Shishi bit her lip and slowly stood up from the bath.

Her original plan was not to attend the palace banquet in a few days; if she could just hide for that one night, she would be fine. She could stay indoors all day and wait for her father to return to break off the engagement with Xue Yun. But then she thought of the Grandson. Xue Yun was of no account; the real key was Li Yue. Thinking of his sinister expression today made her feel a chill. He was such a lecherous and fickle man—he wanted to possess her just because he happened to catch a glimpse of her.

After bathing, Shishi still had no appetite. She lay on the daybed, full of worries, flipping through a casual book. After a while, she couldn’t even focus on reading, so she tilted her head to watch Qingluo incense her clothes. Qingluo found a blue silk handkerchief in her sleeve and asked in confusion: “Miss, is this yours? I seem to remember you brought a plain-colored one when you left.”

Shishi, who had been leaning lazily on the bed, remembered the gift Li Yan had given her that she hadn’t yet opened. “Qingluo, have you seen the sandalwood box I brought back?” she asked softly. Her freshly dried, long hair curled up mischievously, like a disheveled cat.

Qingluo brought over a wooden comb and helped her tie up her black hair first: “Naturally, I saw it. I thought you wouldn’t remember until summer, I didn’t expect you to be so fast this time.”

Shishi’s face turned slightly red: “There are two of us; having one person with a good memory is enough.”

“You always have a way with words,” Qingluo said, tapping her nose. “It’s a good thing you are a girl, otherwise I don’t know how much of a heartbreaker you would be.”

While chatting with Shishi, she took the sandalwood box down from the shelf and handed it to her. Shishi sat cross-legged on the daybed and gently opened the wooden box. It was a pair of earrings. She had seen many exquisite gold ornaments, but at this moment, she was stunned.

The gold earrings, inlaid with deep blue gemstones, sat quietly on the black velvet lining. The main body of the earrings was crafted entirely of pure gold, delicately carved with flowers, birds, and pine branches. The gemstones held by the gold settings were even more dazzling—a deep blue that shimmered with swirling, iridescent light like water jade. They were crystal clear, even purer than glazed glass.

Her fingers rested on the edge of the wooden box, and she hesitated as she called out: “Qingluo, do you recognize this?”

Shishi’s clothes and accessories were all managed by Qingluo, who was an expert on gold and jade jewelry, as well as various silks and satins.

“What is it, Miss?” Qingluo walked over briskly, still holding the blue silk handkerchief. Her expression turned serious as she carefully picked up the gold earrings and examined them repeatedly under the light.

“Did Prince Yong give this to you as well?” she asked, looking at Shishi.

Shishi nodded: “Is it very valuable?”

In truth, very few things in the Duke’s manor could be called “valuable.” The Duke of Weiguo, Xie Guanyun, was a powerful official in charge of finances. He was incorruptible and upright, but people always found various excuses to offer expensive gifts. Plus, the family had been single-line descendants for generations, so their foundation was already very deep. Qingluo had been by Shishi’s side since she was a child and had seen all kinds of rare treasures, but she was hesitant now.

She nodded and said slowly: “Compared to this silk handkerchief, it is slightly less valuable.”

Qingluo held the blue handkerchief up to the light to show Shishi the patterns when seen in the light, and a moment later, she placed it in the dark, where a new embroidered pattern emerged. It was clearly just a handkerchief, yet every single thread revealed breathtaking intricacy and luxury.

Shishi opened her eyes wide. Such a valuable handkerchief, and Seventh Uncle used it to wipe her tears…

“It may be an imperial gift. At the beginning of the year, I heard a secret palace rumor that two imperial concubines almost fought over a single handkerchief,” Qingluo said, placing the handkerchief in Shishi’s palm. “I thought it was absurd then, but now, thinking about such a valuable item, it is no wonder they would fight over it.”

“You don’t need to worry, Miss,” she smiled again. “No matter how precious a handkerchief is, it is meant to be used. You can’t just put it on a pedestal, right?” Saying this, she picked up the gold earrings from the box: “The color of these gemstones is truly beautiful. Would you like to put them on and try them?”

“Hmm.” Shishi raised her head and smiled in agreement.

She looked at herself in the bronze mirror, her thoughts drifting away amidst Qingluo’s continuous praise. Seventh Uncle is just an ordinary prince, and one with an eye ailment who has lost favor at that how can he be so highly regarded?

Just as she was letting her imagination run wild, Lüqi suddenly knocked on the door of the inner chamber: “This is bad, Miss! Second Miss has fallen and injured her leg.”